In the Land of the Giants

These photos depict the GIANTS of our future. These enormous wind turbines, located in Blairsburg, Iowa, have become popular sources of wind energy around Northern Iowa and the rest of the country and will continue to be for centuries to come. Sooner than we might think, these huge structures will be lining our fields and road ways, creating multiple kilowatts of energy every day.

But these GIANTS also remind me of my past. I don't know if any of you out there ever watched Wishbone, the Iowa Public Television show that featured a little dog named Wishbone who entered historical stories and became the protagonist, but my sisters and I loved this show! And it was from this show that I was first introduced to the tale of Don Quixote. 

This story by Miguel de Cervantes, is about a retired country gentleman who has become obsessed with books of chivalry, believing them to be real and true. He decides to go out as a knight-errant in search of the adventure he reads about in his stories. He wears an old suit of armor, renames himself "Don Quixote de la Mancha," and names his old horse "Rocinante".

During his second quest, Don Quixote comes upon the Windmills of La Mancha, believing them to be ferocious giants waving there magnificent arms in battle. So he attacks them, only to be beaten up pretty badly. This is where we get the phrase "tilting at windmills," describing an act of attacking imaginary enemies. This is just one of Don Quixote's many adventures, but this is the one that I think of every time I enter "The Land of Giants" in Northern Iowa. I look towards these monstrous structures and instead of thinking about the huge amounts of energy they create everyday, I am reminded of an old tale and little dog named Wishbone.